Insertion of catheter vein at Arroyo Grande Hospital

1400 E Church St, Santa Maria, CA · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1760510937

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$824.76

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$1,927.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$130.73 with Partnership Health Plan vs $7,160.00 with BCBS - Anthem — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|> 21 $130.73 ↓ -84%
Partnership Health Plan Medicaid|< 21 $130.73 ↓ -84%
Health Net Medicaid|< 21 $160.80 ↓ -81%
Health Net Medicaid|> 21 $160.80 ↓ -81%
CenCal Medicaid|> 21 $206.08 ↓ -75%
CenCal Medicaid|< 21 $206.08 ↓ -75%
Western Growers Commercial|All Plans $1,059.85 ↑ +29%
Kaiser Commercial|All Plans $1,214.01 ↑ +47%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,618.68 ↑ +96%
United Commercial|Non-Options PPO $1,695.76 ↑ +106%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $1,715.03 ↑ +108%
Healthsmart Commercial|All Plans $1,772.84 ↑ +115%
United Commercial|Options PPO $1,792.11 ↑ +117%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,888.46 ↑ +129%
United Commercial|HMO $1,907.73 ↑ +131%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Non-MCS $5,343.00 ↑ +548%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $5,710.00 ↑ +592%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $5,710.00 ↑ +592%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $5,710.00 ↑ +592%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|MCS $7,160.00 ↑ +768%

Visitor-reported prices

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Insertion of catheter vein at other California hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. John's Camarillo Hospital Camarillo $753.36 $160.80 – $1,341.60
French Hospital San Luis Obispo $755.39 $130.73 – $1,888.46
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield $182.77 $130.73 – $496.65
Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka Eureka $795.60 $2,699.00 – $21,319.00
Providence Mission Hospital - Mission Viejo Mission Viejo $586.08 $1,200.00 – $5,357.00
Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Mt Shasta $870.59 $222.24 – $1,096.62
Mercy Medical Center Merced Merced $1,216.95 $130.73 – $2,339.37
Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz $293.40 $130.73 – $586.80

All California hospitals for this procedure →